Slotted spider member



Nov. 19, 1940. l

w. H. BARLW 2,222,494

sLoTTED SPIDER MEMBER Original Filed Dec. 14, 1958 TEILE :inventor l qlMnfgLn/Sgmw I Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITE, ST

TENT orricisV SLTTED SPIDER MEDEER Original application December 14, 1938, Serial No.

Divided and this application February 20, 1940, Serial No. 319,942

. 7 Claims.

The present invention `relates to connectors, and has for an object to provide a resilient spider for connecting or holding parts together where varying conditions prevail and to take up any inequalities found in the parts incident to the manufacture or the operation of the connected parts.

This application is a division of the application Serial No. 245,753 filed December i4, 1938, entitled Jaw unit for electric connectors.

Another object of this invention is to provide a spider head or member which is resilient to a high degree and which at the same time has the necessary strength toy hold together the parts when assembled relative to the spider head. This resiliency is obtained in a head having a disc composed of relatively movable sections and slotted or bifurcated arms connected across the disc sections to resiliently interconnect the same. The arms being disposed at the desired angles to the disc sections to adapt the spider head to the particular parts to which the head may be applied.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, 25 the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like corresponding parts throughout the'several views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the resilient spider head, looking at its inner side, showing the disc or crown having slots therein and extending into the arms.

Figure 2 is a like View, but looking at the outer side of the yspider head.

Figure 3 is a; side elevation, with one end in section of a cable connector, showing one use of the spider head therein for holding the jaws in place.

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken through the same on the line ifi-4 of Figure 3, showing the arms of the spider head secured to the jaws of the connector, and

Figure 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 3, showing the slotted disc or crown of the head.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, the spider head comprises a crown or disc 36 of the approximate diameter for use and which may have a reinforcing rim ange 3l if desired. The disc or crown 36 carries a plurality of arms or fingers 38, such as three in the present illustration.

The arms or fingers 38 are flat and extend (Cl. 2li- 126) to one side of the plane of the disc or crown 36, preferably from the flange 31 when used.y The base portions of the fingers or arms 36 adjacent the disc or crown 36 may be bent or offset inf wardly toward one another, as shown in Figure 1, if it is desired to set the arms or fingers 36 closer together, the arms 38 being given any suitable width or configuration toi adapt the spider member to the particular parts to which it may be applied.

To render the spider head or member and its arms more resilient or flexible, the crown or disc 36 is provided with radial slots ll which intersect at the central portion of the crown t6 and extend radially through the reinforcing rim 3l and lengthwise into the arms or fingers Lit.

Thus, the spider head is divided into segments or sections which are independent of one another except through their connections at the base ends of the arms or fingers 38. The segments of the crown at opposite ends are connected to the independent spring portions of the arms so that these arms are relatively flexible or yieldable and are permitted to swing yieldingly' in an edgewise direction and are also permitted, incident to their slotted formation, to bend or yield radially and to a slight extent longitudinally.

This resilient spider member has various uses, and Figures 3, 4 and 5 show the spider member used in a cable connector as set forth and claimed in the above referred toy parent application Serial No. 245,753.

The connector illustrated is of the double ended type adapted to receive and grip in its op-` posite ends the extremities of wire, cablesrods or the like.`

The connector comprises a cylindrical casing which has its opposite ends tapered by swaging or the like to provide relatively long gradually tapering end portions 26 to the casing, and these end portions 26 terminate in openings of suitable size to receive the wire or the cable therein by advancing the wire or cable length,- wise into the casing.

The casing 25 is provided at its cylindrical portion with an expanding spring 2l provided with oppositeend caps 28 normally urged from each other by the spring, The casing 25 is Aprovided near the opposite ends of its cylindrical portion with longitudinal slots 29 for the introduction of a suitable tool or implement to engage the caps 28 for retracting the same when it is desired to release spring pressure upon the gripping unitsy disposed in the opposite tapering portions 26 of the casing.

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Each wire or cable gripping unit comprises a group of jaws 30. As shown particularly in Figures 4 and 5, each jaw may be a forging which tapers toward its outer end and is provided withy an outer cylindrical surface 3l adapted tol en` gage throughout its extent against the inner wall of the tapering end 26 of the casing. The inner end of the jaw 30 is provided with an outer flat face 32 providing a seat and swaged or` drawn from the jaw is a stud or rivet 33 which rises from the seat 32. The inner side of the jaw, as shown in Figure 5, is of transverse concave form having gripping teeth or serrations 34 Iadapted to grip the wire orcable when the jaw` 33 is compressed or contracted thereagainst.' The outer'end of the jaw 30, at its inner wall, is bevelled to provide a cam face 35 against which the extremity of the wire or cable is adapted to bear for retractingthe jaw into the larger endof the tapering portion 23 of the casing and for spread` ing the yjaw suciently to admit of the introduction of the wire or cable intoV the casing between the jaws.

The jaws 33 are shown as used ina group of three-resiliently connected together by the resilient spider membershown in Figures 1 and 2.v Each'nger 38 may have' an opening 39 therethrough for the reception of the stud or rivet 33 of a jaw, and each finger 38 is flat and adapted to be secured against the flat face or seat 32 of the jaw 33 to hold the jaw to the spider head.` In this use of the spider head the fingers 38 are preferably offset inwardly, as `shown in Figures l, 2 and 3, to give greater freedom and flexing movements to the arms and jawsduring the settling of the jaws against the inner surface of thetapering end 26 of the connector casing.

The slotted spider member or head may be made in any suitable manner, but preferably it is made from sheet metal having the desired inherent strength and resiliency to perform the desired functions forthe particular application or use of the spider member. The segments or sections of the disc or crown 36 are interconnected only by the outer or free ends of the arms or fingers 33 so that the crown or disc may expand and contract and the sectionsI may relatively move and tilt with respect to the general'plane of the disc; the Various movements depending upon the adaptability of the spider to the particularparts to which the spider is applied and being limited only by the resistance of the connecting outer free portions of .the arms 38.

In operation, when a wire is inserted endwise into Athe open end of the casing, the wire rst engages the cam facesI 35 of the jaws 30 and retracts the jaws against the tensiony of the spring', the jaws sliding against the inner wall of the tapering portion 26 of the casingand gradually spreading until the wireis free of the cam faces 35 of the jaws.. At this time the wire is forced inwardly between the jaws yand up into the space between the fingers or arms 38. As soon as the pressure on the wire is released, the AspringZ'l urges the jaws 30 outwardly inthe smaller end of the casing portion 26 and` contracts the jaws about the wire, the teeth 34 of the jaws taking into the outer surface of the wireso that outward pull upon the wire only increases' the wedging action of thejaws 3U about the wire which holds the latter firmer in place.

Thefunction of the 'resilient spider-head is to permit the jaws to independentlyadvance into wedging position and to move radially, circumferentially or into a tilting position depending upon irregularities not only in the inner wall of the tapering section 26 in the casing but also in the outer surface of the wire or cable engaged.

What is claimed is:

1. A resilient spider member, comprising a sheet metal dis-c having marginal clamping arms bent to one side of the disc, said disc. having radial slots intersecting at the central portion of the disc and disposed in line with the arms and extending partway into the arms to divide the same and the disc into flexible connecting portions between adjacent arms.

2. A resilient spider member for interconnecting parts of a device, comprising a disc having radial clamping4 arms bent to one side of the disc, said disc having intersecting slots therein extending partway into the arms and dividing the disc into a plurality of relatively movable sections interconnected by the outer fr ee ends of the arms, said `disc and arms being so constructed and arranged that the disc may lunder pressure expand and contract and said movable sections of the disc may relatively move to adapt the clamping arms of the spider member to the parts of said device. 1

3. A resilient spider membencomprising .a disc having marginal arms extending to one side of the disc and having a reinforcing marginal flange, said disc also having radial slots intersecting at the central portion of the disc and extending in line with the arms and through the reinforcing marginal flange partway into the arms, said disc and slots being so constructed and arranged that the disc may expand and contract and the sections thereof between the slots may relatively move under pressure to adapt the arms of the spider member to the particular conditions vof use with partsv of a device to whichv the member may be applied. l

4. A resilient spider member, comprisinga disc having intersecting radial slots therein dividing the disc into a plurality of segments, and radial spring arms connected to the marginal edge of. the disc across the-adjacent corners of thesegments for interconnecting the same, thev radial slots in the disc extending partway into the arms to admit relative movements of the segments under pressure imparted by movement of the arms.

5. A resilient spider member,A comprising a crown portion of independent segments-"and spring arms extending laterally from the crown portion and having spaced apart inner end por"- tions secured respectively tothe adjacent -ends of the crown segments for Vresiliently interconnecting the segments. v Y

6. In a spider memberY of the class wherein a plurality of arms are separated from one another both circumferentially and radially to permit such arms to move toward and from one another in the act of gripping objects, and wherein such arms have free outer ends andinner ends joining in common with a single connecting member, characterized bythe factthat there are provided both in said arms and in` saidv connecting member slots whichintersectin the connecting member and extend uninterruptedly into said arms but terminate short of the free ends of said arms, said slots dividingI said connecting member into independently movable segments, the free ends of said arms being the only parts connecting adjacent segments. ff

7. A spider member wherein a connecting member carries a plurality of independently movable gripping members which extendat spaced points off the edge of the connecting member generaily at right angles to the plane of the connecting member and have inner ends connected to said. connecting member and outer free ends movable radially toward one another to grip objects therebetween, characterized by the fact that adjoining gripping members and said connecting member have a continuous slot terminating short of the free ends of said gripping members and continuously traversing the remaining portions 10 of both said adjoining gripping members and the included part of the connecting member adapted to cause separation of said included segment of the connecting member from other portions thereof, and to cause said included segment of the connecting member to be joined with other portions of said connecting member only through the outer free end portions of said gripping members.

WILLIAM H. BARLOW. 

